Punch riveter for joining metals

ABSTRACT

A punch riveter for joining metal studs and runners by piercing the overlying metals and then folding back and crimping the pierced metal. The opening punched in each of the metals is of a generally rectangular shape and the pierced metal is rolled back along the uncut edge thereof.

United States Patent 1 91 Olson PUNCH RIVETER FOR JOINING METALS [76] Inventor: Glenn V. Olson, 2654 Keeler Pkwy.,

St. Paul, Minn. 55109 22 Filed: June 11, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 152,043

[52] U.S. Cl.....' ..29/2l.l, 113/1 N [51] Int. Cl. ..B23p 17/00 [58] Field of Search ..29/21.1; 113/1 N, 116 FF [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,010,199 ll/l96l Smithetal. ..113/ll6FF Feb. 6, 1973 2,874,666 2/1959 Thor ..1 13/1 N 2,297,948 10/ l 942 Eisenhauer ..29/21.1 1,938,570 12/1933 Abbott ..29/21.1 X

Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examinerl;eon Gilden AtzorneyMerchant & Gould 5 7 ABSTRACT A punch riveter for joining metal studs and runners by piercing the overlying metals and then folding back and crimping the pierced metal. The opening punched in each of the metals is of a generally rectangular shape and the pierced metal is rolled back along the uncut edge thereof.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDFEB 61975 INVEN'IUR.

36 GLENN V. 0z.,sa- BY 4/ ezmwra 690m /2 a AT TORNE Y5 PUNCH RIVETER FOR JOINING METALS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to punch riveter apparatus for joining overlying surfaces.

Frequently, there is a need to join overlying surfaces without the necessity of using a conventional joining device (e.g. nails, screws, glues, etc.). For instance, dry wall construction of numerous types of structures is becoming increasingly popular. In such construction, the studs and runners are typically formed from a galvanized metal and are joined by screws, rivets, or spot welding. While the finished structure is normally quite rugged, this method of dry wall construction is undesirably slow and expensive.

. More recently, a punch riveter has been developed which fastens the overlying surfaces together (e.g.

fastens each stud to the overlying runner) using only the surface material. One such device is the commercially available Tri-Lok Punch Riveter manufactured by Malco Products, Inc. This device punches a triangular shaped hole in both the stud and the runner and then folds the punched material back along each edge of the triangular opening to join the overlying metals. While this punch riveter and other similarly designed punch riveters have greatly simplified dry-wall construction, their rather complex designhas resulted in an unnecessarily expensive tool. Thus, a punch riveter which provides dependable joints between overlying metals and which is inexpensive to purchase is commercially desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to punch riveter apparatus having a pivotable hammer member which cooperates with an anvil member to securely jointwo or more overlying surfaces. More specifically, the hammer member includes a generally wedge-shaped head which punches a hole in each of the overlying surfaces and then folds back the punched surface material along one edge of the hole (i.e. an uncut edge) to securely join the surfaces. The anvil member is formed by two laterally spaced side surfaces defining a space or cavity therebetween for receiving the pivotable hammer member and having an opening extending laterally across the outer edge thereof for receiving the surfaces to be joined. In operation, the overlying surfaces are inserted into the opening in the anvil and the hammer member is pivoted so that the wedge-shaped head cuts' through the surfaces. As the hammer head continues to pivot, the inner edge of the head folds the cut surfaces back towards the uncut or rearward edge of the opening. This folded material is received by a lateral notch extending inwardly from the inner edge of the wedge-shaped head for crimping the folded material to securely join the overlying surfaces.

The present punch riveter has been found to provide highly dependable joining of overlying surfaces. It is particularly desirable for use in dry wall construction where it provides dependable joining of overlying studs and runners. Also, the simple design of the present punch riveter renders it substantially less expensive to manufacture than the presently available devices. Another significant advantage is that the present design provides a substantially lighter weight and easier to operate punch riveter. Other advantages of my invention will become apparent from a reading of the BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the punch riveter provided by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmented view of the punch riveter shown in FIG. 1 having two overlying metals carried by the anvil portion thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmented cross-sectional view of the punch riveter head shown in FIG. 3 in which the overlying materials have been punched and folded back along the uncut edge of the punched hole;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to a description of my preferred apparatus, the numeral 10 is used to generally designate the punch riveter provided by my present invention. Broadly, punch riveter 10 comprises an anvil member 12, a hammer member 14 and means 16 for pivotally attaching hammer 14 to anvil 12. Although punch riveter 10 can be utilized in numerous applications where it is desired to join two or more overlying surfaces, it finds particularly desirable application in joining the metal studs and runners typically utilized in drywall construction. Consequently, this description will relate only to such use.

More specifically, anvil member 12 is defined by a pair of generally planar, laterally spaced side surfaces 20 and 21. Surfaces 20 and 21 are secured to one another by a rivet 22 which extends therebetween near the bottom edge of the two surfaces and by a pair of rivets 23 and 24 positioned along the upper edge of the two surfaces. The two laterally spaced surfaces20 and 21 define a cavity or space 25 therebetween. As described subsequently, hammer 14 is positioned within space 25. As shown, rivets 23 and 24 also secure portion 28b. Opening 28 can, of course, have any one of a number of alternative shapes. Preferably, however, it has an enlarged inward portion such as provided by opening portion 28b.

The hammer member 14 includes a generally planar wedge-shaped head 35 defined by an inner edge 36 which angularly intersects a slightly arcuate or convex outer edge 37. The inner edge 36 includes a slot-like opening or notch 40 positioned slightly above the apex 41 of wedge-shaped head 35. Notch 40 extends laterally through head 35and longitudinally inward from inner edge 36 toward the outer edge 37. The width w of opening 40 (shown in FIG. 4) is greater than twice the combined thickness of the overlying metals which are to be joined. Preferably, however, it is only slightly larger than this width. For example, where the combined thicknessof an overlying metal stud 43 and runner 44 is two thirty-seconds inches, opening 40 preferably has a width of three thirty-seconds inches. A shoulder 42 along the convex outer edge 37 is provided for engaging the uncut metals adjacent the outer edge of the punched hole. The shoulder 42 bends or folds the overlying stud and runner downward (as shown particularly well in FIG. 4) toward the outer edge 27 of anvil 12. An elongated handle 45 is rigidly attached to the inner edge 36 of the wedge-shaped head 35 and extends outwardly therefrom.

The means 16 for pivotally attaching hammer member 14 to anvil 12 includes a rod 50 which extends through a circular opening in hammer 14 and through oppositely disposed circular openings in side surfaces 20 and 21 of anvil 12. Hammer 14 pivots about the rod 50. Lateral movement of rod 50 is prevented by force fitting the rod into the openings in surfaces 20 and 21 or by other suitable securing devices (e.g. by use of cotter keys, etc.).

Punch riveter can be utilized to join an overlying metal stud and runner (or other overlying surfaces) as follows. The hammer 14 is pivoted to its first or open position such as shown in FIG. 3. In this open position, the wedge-shaped head 35 is above the bottom edge of opening 28 in anvil 12 so as to provide space for receiving the metal surfaces to be joined. The stud and runner are then fully inserted into the opening 28 (Le. inserted into opening 28 so as to engage the inner wall 28b of opening 28). After so inserting the stud and runner, handle 45 is pulled toward handle 26 causi rgghvedgeshaped head 35 to pivot counterclockwi s' through opening 28 to its second or closed position'shown particularly well in FIG. 4. [n this closed" position, the lower or apex portion 41 of wedge-shaped head 35 extends beneath the lower edge of opening 28 into the space 26 defined by the two side siirfaces and 21. In moving to this closed position, the apex 41 of the planar wedge-shaped head 35 punches a rectangularshaped hole 55 in the overlying stud and runner. This hole is cut along the three outermost edges thereof and, as the hammer head 35 pivots to its closed position, the inner edge 36 folds the two metals back along the uncut innermost edge of hole 55, the folded material moving freely within space 25. The folded material is received within slot-like notch 40 and as hammer head 35 completes its pivotal movement, the overlying metals are crimped by the notch 40 and the inner hammer edge 36 securely joining the overlying metals one to another. As shown in FIG. 4, the folded and crimped metals are positioned generally parallel to and immediately beneath the unfolded stud 43 and runner 44 (i.e. the unfolded metal adjacent the rear edge of hole 55). Also, with hammer head 35 in its closed position, the longitudinally extending notch 40 is positioned generally parallel to the inwardly extending opening portion 28a. Finally, as hammer l4 pivots to its closed position, the shoulder 42 on outer edge 37 folds the uncut portion of stud 43 and runner 44 adjacent the forward edge of opening 55 downward toward outer surface 27 of anvil 12 to further join the overlying surfaces. The engagement of a surface of hammer 14 with handle 26 prevents further counterclockwise movement past the position of hammer 14 shown in FIG. 4. By applying a force on hammer handle 45 directed away from anvil handle 26, the wedge-shaped head 35 is pivoted back toward its open position releasing the joined or riveted materials.

As can be seen from the above, the present invention provides a simply designed punch riveter for joining overlying surfaces. This joining or riveting is accomplished by punching a hole in each of the overlying surfaces and then folding back and crimping the punched material along the inner or uncut edge of the punched hole. Since it will be readily apparent to the artisan that numerous design modifications can be made to the embodiment described, it is my intent to be limited solely by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A punch riveter for joining overlying surfaces, comprising:

a. an anvil member having a pair of laterally spaced side surfaces defining a cavity therebetween and having an opening extending laterally across an outer edge and inwardly toward an inner edge thereof for receiving the overlying surfaces;

b. a hammer member including an inner edge, an outer edge angularly intersecting said inner edge to define a generally wedge-shaped hammer head, and a notch extending laterally through said wedge-shaped head and inwardly from said inner edge; and

means for pivotally attaching said hammer member to said anvil member for arcuate movement within said anvil cavity, said wedge-shaped head being pivotable from a first position above the lower edge of said opening through said opening to a second position wherein at least the apex portion of said wedge-shaped head is below the lower edge of said opening.

. The punch riveter of claim 1 wherein:

. said hammer head is generally planar shaped so as to punch a rectangular hole which is cut along three sides thereof;

. said inner edge of said hammer member folds back the punched surfaces along the uncut edge of the punched hole as said hammer moves toward its second position; and

. said notch in said hammer member receives the folded surfaces and as the hammer head pivots to its second position, said notch crimps the folded surfaces to securely join them one to another.

3. The punch riveter of claim 2 wherein said opening in said anvil member includes a generally horizontally and inwardly extending outer recess portion.

4. The punch riveter of claim 3 wherein said notch in said hammer member extends essentially parallel to said generally horizontally and inwardly extending portion of said opening in said anvil member when said anvil is positioned in said second position.

5. The punch riveter of claim 2 wherein said outer edge of said wedge-shaped head is generally convex and includes an outwardly projecting shoulder thereon positioned adjacent the apex of said head for folding the overlying surfaces along the outer edge of the portion to said anvil portion includes a rod extendpunched hole toward said outer edge of said anvil. ing through said openings in said wedge-shaped 6. The punch riveter of claim 2 wherein: head and said side surfaces of said hammer;

a. said hammer member includes a circular opening d. said hammer portion includes an elongated handle extending transversely therethrough adjacent said 5 extending Outward fI'Om Said inner g thereof; inner edge thereof; and

b. said side surfaces of said anvil member include op- 531d finvll POTUOH lncllldfls F ngated handle expositely disposed circular openings therein; tending outward from said inner edge thereof.

c. said means for pivotally attaching said hammer to 

1. A punch riveter for joining overlying surfaces, comprising: a. an anvil member having a pair of laterally spaced side surfaces defining a cavity therebetween and having an opening extending laterally across an outer edge and inwardly toward an inner edge thereof for receiving the overlying surfaces; b. a hammer member including an inner edge, an outer edge angularly intersecting said inner edge to define a generally wedge-shaped hammer head, and a notch extending laterally through said wedge-shaped head and inwardly from said inner edge; and c. means for pivotally attaching said hammer member to said anvil member for arcuate movement within said anvil cavity, said wedge-shaped head being pivotable from a first position above the lower edge of said opening through said opening to a second position wherein at least the apex portion of said wedge-shaped head is below the lower edge of said opening.
 1. A punch riveter for joining overlying surfaces, comprising: a. an anvil member having a pair of laterally spaced side surfaces defining a cavity therebetween and having an opening extending laterally across an outer edge and inwardly toward an inner edge thereof for receiving the overlying surfaces; b. a hammer member including an inner edge, an outer edge angularly intersecting said inner edge to define a generally wedge-shaped hammer head, and a notch extending laterally through said wedge-shaped head and inwardly from said inner edge; and c. means for pivotally attaching said hammer member to said anvil member for arcuate movement within said anvil cavity, said wedge-shaped head being pivotable from a first position above the lower edge of said opening through said opening to a second position wherein at least the apex portion of said wedge-shaped head is below the lower edge of said opening.
 2. The punch riveter of claim 1 wherein: a. said hammer head is generally planar shaped so as to punch a rectangular hole which is cut along three sides thereof; b. said inner edge of said hammer member folds back the punched surfaces along the uncut edge of the punched hole as said hammer moves toward its second position; and c. said notch in said hammer member receives the folded surfaces and as the hammer head pivots to its second position, said notch crimps the folded surfaces to securely join them one to another.
 3. The punch riveter of claim 2 wherein said opening in said anvil member includes a generally horizontally and inwardly extending outer recess portion.
 4. The punch riveter of claim 3 wherein said notch in said hammer member extends essentially parallel to said generally horizontally and inwardly extending portion of said opening in said anvil member when said anvil is positioned in said second position.
 5. The punch riveter of claim 2 wherein said outer edge of said wedge-shaped head is generally convex and includes an outwardly projecting shoulder thereon positioned adjacent the apex of said head for folding the overlying surfaces along the outer edge of the punched hole toward said outer edge of said anvil. 